The purpose of tapering off alcohol is to avoid major withdrawal symptoms so you can achieve sobriety safely. The time it takes to taper will depend on how long you’ve been drinking, how much you’ve been drinking and a variety https://ecosoberhouse.com/ of personal factors. For most people, alcohol withdrawal symptoms will begin sometime in the first eight hours after their final drink. You don’t need to be diagnosed with alcohol use disorder in order to quit drinking.
By thinking about the people who should be involved with an alcohol detox, and the different stages of an alcohol detox, you can better understand the process. To assess a person’s withdrawal symptoms and recommend treatments, doctors often use a scale called the Clinical Institute for Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol. The higher the number, the worse a person’s symptoms are and the more treatments they likely need.
How long does it take to detox from alcohol?
Minor withdrawal symptoms usually begin about six hours after your last drink. A person who has a long history of heavy drinking could have a seizure six hours after stopping drinking. If you drink only once in a while, it’s unlikely that you’ll have withdrawal symptoms when you stop. But if you’ve gone through alcohol withdrawal once, you’re more likely to go through it again the next time you call it quits. At-home detox may be OK if you’re otherwise healthy and haven’t been using drugs for very long. If you believe it’s your best option, get a doctor to review your situation and approve the plan before you start.
During the 12- to 24-hour time frame after the last drink, most people will begin to have noticeable symptoms. These may still be mild, or the existing symptoms might increase in severity. There is no exact timeline for alcohol withdrawal, and individual factors, such as the level of dependence on alcohol, will Alcohol Detox influence it. Alcohol makes it harder for your body’s immune system to make enough white blood cells to fight off germs and bacteria. People who have been drinking a lot of alcohol for a long time tend to get frequent infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis because their immune system has been worn down.
What Happens During Alcohol Detox?
As you begin to notice those health benefits, you’ll likely feel more energized and inspired to keep up your progress. To stop drinking alcohol, you first need to understand your relationship with drinking. From there, you may need social support, consistent self-care, and new routines that can help redirect your mind. Alcohol can stay in your system for several hours depending on how much you drink.
- It might also be worth checking out a 12-step program in your area, like Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART Recovery, to see if it feels like something that might be useful for you.
- These first few weeks are critical because they are when the risk of relapse is highest.
- If you’re more of a moderate to occasional drinker, you may find the hardest part of stopping drinking to be the social pressures.
- By opening up about your relationship with alcohol, you might also encourage others to explore their own drinking habits.
- Start by talking to your doctor about how much alcohol you’ve been using and your plan to quit.
Emotionally, you may feel some anxiety or sadness about ending a chapter of your life and nervousness about the future. “You may learn things about yourself and about your relationship to this substance that you never even thought about,” he adds. You can become conditioned to reach for a drink when your environment offers up certain cues. Marixie Ann Manarang-Obsioma is a licensed Medical Technologist (Medical Laboratory Science) and an undergraduate of Doctor of Medicine (MD).